Washing-machine drive



H. W. EDEN.

WASHING MACHINE DRIVE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. I3, I9I7.

1,387,696. Patented Aug. 16,1921.

SHEETS-S EET l. 2.2 5 Z Patented Aug. 16,1921.

3 SHEETSSHEET 21 H. W. EDEN.

WASHING MACHINE DRIVE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 13. I917.

M J u f M W a a fi w 9 3 V/ m b 1 a o d j 1% Y. 6D. 1.1 5 5 E 0 y 4 W i H. w. EDEN. WASHING MACHINE DRIVE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 13, 91 7- .A 1 3 5 V k gm M L 3 5 M 7 v Ti m 7 a 5 has. m 9 E 6; E 7 7 a k 0 L H W Air UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HAROLD W. EDEN, OF ALTON, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO GILLESPIE-EDEN CORPORATION, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

WASHING-MACHINE DRIVE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 16, 1921.

Application filed August 13, 1917. Serial No. 185,896.

To allwkom it may concern Be it known that I, HAROLD W. EDEN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of town of Alton, in the county of Madison and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Nashing-Machine Drive; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the numerals of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to an improved arrangement and construction of driving mechanism for the clothes drum and wringer of a washing machine whereby either one may be operated independently of the other, and with the drive shaft for the clothes drum of the machine reversed automatically during its operation. Furthermore, a 'releasable driving means is provided whereby, in the event of the clothes drum or wringer becoming jammed, said means will permit slippage of the parts until the power can be turned off, thus protecting the mechanism from damage.

It is an object therefore of this invention to construct a driving mechanism for the parts of the washing machine embracing a reversing gear mechanism for the clothes drum as well as a reversible wringer drive, and with the parts ceasing operation in the event of jamming of the wringer or clothes drum mechanisms to prevent damage to the parts.

It is also an object of this invention to construct a power driven washing machine wherein the driving means are incased and mounted upon one side of the machine, and entirely automatic in operation after the circuit to the driving motor is closed.

It is furthermore an important object of this invention to construct an improved and compact driving mechanism for a washing machine with all the parts easil accessible and mounted upon one side of t e frame of the washing machine to impart a drive to the clothes'drum or wringer of the machine alternately or simultaneously independently of one another, as desired.

Other and further important objects of the invention will be apparent from the disclosure in the specification and drawings.

The invention (in a preferred form) is illustrated in the drawings and hereinafter more fully described.

On the drawings:

Figure l is a front view of a washing machine showing a driving mechanism embodying the principles of my invention forming a part thereof and mounted on one side of the washing machine.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the washing machine.

Fig. 3 is a sectional detail through one of the gears of the reversing gear mechanism.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged side view of the washing machine with the casing of the driving mechanism broken away and shown in section to illustrate the arrangement of the parts.

Fig. 5 is a sectional detail taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 2, with parts omitted and parts shown in elevation.

Fig. 6 is a sectional detail taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary detail section showing the main drive shaft and friction releasing clutch which are driven by the motor.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional detail on line 8-8 of Fig. 2, with parts shown in elevation.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail view taken on line 9-9 of Fig. 7, of the releasing clutch of the mechanism.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged detail view taken on line 10-10 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 11 is a sectional detail taken on line 1l-l1 of Fig. 7.

As shown on the drawings:

The reference numeral 1, indicates the frame of a washing machine having a tub 2, of usual or well known construction fitted therein, and with the driving mechanism for the machine mounted on one side of the frame. 'Mounted upon a bracket 3, which is secured upon the frame of the machine is a driving motor 4:, and the drive shaft of said motor, denoted by the reference numeral 5, leads into a tubular casing 6, as shown in Figs. 4 and 7. The cylindrical casing 6, is connected upon the boss extension of a large casing 7, forming a part of or secured upon the frame of the washing -machine and provided with an L-sha ed' cover plate 8, as shown in Fig. 2. aid casing 7, is provided with an inwardly projzecting extension 8, as shown clearly in ig. 4, affording a bearing for one end of a shaft 9, and the other end of said shaft extends through the wall of the casing 7, through a bearing provided therefor, and is rovi ed with a coupling 10, pinned thereon.

ecured in the coupling 10, is a short shaft section 11, which is pinned to a long coupling shaft; or member 12, and pinned in the other end thereof is a short section 13, which is secured into a coupling 14, pinned upon the motor drive shaft 5.

Secured upon the shaft 9, as shown in Figs. 7 and 9, is a disk 15, and pivoted thereon are two arms 16, mounted on pintles 17. At the opposite ends of each of said arms 16, from the pintles 17, tension springs 18, are connected between said arms. Sald arms are adapted to be thrown outwardly by centrifugal force, thereby thrusting a serrated or roughened clutch surface 19 contact with the inner periphery of a clutch wheel 20, which is secured upon a sleeve 21, journaled on the shaft 9, said tension springs 18, serving to resist the outward movement of said arms.

Formed integral with the sleeve 21, is a pinion 22. J ournaled upon a stud shaft securedin an extension of the frame casing 7, is a large gear 23, meshing with the pinion 22, and rigidly associated with said gear 23, is a small pinion 24. Said pinion 24, meshes with a large gear 25, which is secured upon a shaft 26, journaled horizontally. in the lower portion of the casing 7. ,Journaled upon the shaft 26, are apair of pinions 27 and 28, respectively, each meshing with a large bevel gear 29, which is secured upon a shaft 30, extending throu h a bearing 31, in the. easing'7, into the tn 2, of the washing machine for connection to the clothes drum (not shown) therein. Feathered upon the shaft 26, between the pinions 27 and 28, is a slidable jaw clutch member 32, adapted to. en-.

gage with either of the complementary jaws provided on the extensions of the pinions 27 and 28, to lock the same to the drive shaft 26, and thereby drive the bevel gear 29. When the jaw .clutch member 32, is in the intermediate or neutral position shown in Fig. 4, it is out of engagementwith both of the pinions 27 and 28, and no drive is imparted to the gear 29, for operation ofthe clothes drum.

The automatic mechanism for shifting the jaw clutch member 32, firstinto engagement with the pinion 27, and then into engage ment with the pinion 28, to reverse the drive to the clothes drum is the sameas that shown in my co ending application for patent for clutch s ifting mechanism, filed Se tember' 13th, 1915, issued Ap'ril8 1919, No. 1,299,925, and hence the details of construction will not be entered into here since they form no part of the present invention.

into

side wall of the adjustable casin 42.

atent The shifting arm or lever for the jaw that shown in the app ication above mentioned, and in the present instance, is denoted by the reference numeral 33.- Said arm is provided with an extension 34, which fits around the slidable member 32, and the end of the yoke is provided with a recess to receive a spring impelled pin 35, engaged therewith to hold said shifting arm 33, in neutral position. Said pin 35, extends intoa bearing provided therefor in the cover plate 8, and at its outer end is provided with a handle or crank 36, with a cam projection or extension 37, adapted to co-act with an inclined cam portion 38, of the cover plate 8, so that by a rotational adjustment of the handle 36, the portion 37, rides upwardly on the cam portion 38, thereby retracting the pin 35, against the stress of its spring and releasing the arm 33.

Secured upon the outer end-of the shaft 26, is a bevel pinion 39, meshing with abevel pinion 40, which is secured on the lower end of a shaft, 41, extending upwardly within the casing. Said shaft 41, extends into an to hold said casing 42, and wringer 44,'in

different adjusted positions. Said lever'45, is normally held in engaging position by a spring impelled detent 46, mounted in the Feathe'red upon the upper end of-t e shaft 41, within the casing 42, is a slidable jaw clutch element 47, adapted to interlock with either one of two bevel pinions or gears 48 and 49, respectively, journaled upon said shaft 41, within the casing 42. Each of said bevel pinions 48 and 49, meshes with a bevel gear 50, secured upon a shaft 51, jgurnaled through the side wall of the casing or housing 42, and to which one of the wringer roll shafts 52, is connected by means of a coupling 53. When the clutch member 47 ,-is in Journaled through the side wall of the housin 42', is a shaft 54, as shown in Fig. 8, provided with-an actuating handle 55, on

the outer end thereof, and on its inner end provided with an eccentric pin 56, on which is journaled a block 57 for engagement with the central peripheral groove of the slidable clutch member 47. Adjustments of the handle 55, serve to shift said clutch member 47, into engagement with either one of the pinions 48 and 49, or into a neutral position therebetween when the lever 55, is in the upright position shown in Fig. 8. A spring detent 58, is provided mounted in an extension on the housing 42, to co-act with the lower end ofthe lever 55, as shown in Fig. 8, to hold the same in neutral position.

The operation is as follows:

The drive for the washing machine is received from the motor 4, through the shaft assembly 5-129, to disk wheel 15, and through the centrifugally actuated friction arms 16, to the clutch wheel 20. The pinion 22, rigidly associated with the clutch wheel 20, in turn drives the large gear 23, which, with the pinion 24, rigidly associated therewith drives the large gear 25, on the shaft 26. The shaft 26, serves to transmit a drive through the reversing gear mechanism to the clothes drum within the tub 2, and also to the upright wringer shaft 41. When the lever 36, is moved into the position shown in Fig. 5, the pin 35, engages with the yoke arm 34, of the shifting lever 33, holding the same in neutral position and preventing engagement of the slidable clutch member 32, with either of the pinions 27 and 28, so that no drive is imparted to the clothes drum.

The upright wringer shaft 41, is driven continuously with the shaft 26, and the wringer may be driven at the option of the operator by swingin the clutch lever 55, in one position or the ot er to drive the wrin er in either direction. The wringer mec anism and clothes drum mechanism ma be operated independently of one another rom the continuously driven shaft 26. In the event of the wringer mechanism or clothes drum mechanism becoming jammed during operation thereof, the mechanisms will not be damaged for the reason that the clutch mechanism 15-20, will slip when over-loaded to this extent.

I am aware that various details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and I therefore do not purpose limiting the patent granted otherwise than necessitated by the prior art.

I claim as m invention:

1. Transmission mechanism for washing machines comprising a casing adapted to be attached on the side of a washing machine, a driven shaft adapted to drive a plurality of mechanisms su ported in said casing, a motor driven sha t also supported in said casing, and having a pinion loosely mounted thereon, a clutch drum secured to said pinion, centrifugal clutch mechanism connecting said drum and motor driven shaft, an intermediate shaft having a gear meshing with said pinion and intermeshing gears on said intermediate shaft and sai first mentioned'shaft. s

2. Transmission mechanism for washing machines comprising a casing adapted to be attached on the side of a washing machine and having a plurality of shaft bearing portions therein, a plurality of shafts supported by said bearlng portions, intermeshing gears mounted on said shafts, one of said gears being rotatably mounted upon one of said shafts and having an extension, a clutch member secured on said extension, and centrifugal clutch mechanism connecting said last mentioned shaft and said clutch member.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HAROLD W. EDEN. Witnesses:

FRED E. PAESLER, CHARLES W. HILLS, Jr; 

